Question: Getting two axolotls! Newbie here!

I am getting my first axolotls in a few months, right now they are just wee little eggs! I am super excited but I would like to know everything there is to know about these guys.

I have done a good amount of research, but I figured asking people who already have some would be a good Idea too.

I bought a 55 gallon tank for them, and am currently looking for a good substrate. I am going to try sand, I've used it before in my fish tank and I LOVE how it looks. They will be set up in my room which is the basement, so they should be at a cooler temp even if it gets warm.

I have no lights for the tank, and I bought a whisper filter from tetra, after I got home I read up and it said canister filters are the best? Any opinions?

Also is the 55 suffcient size for them? or how many can I fit in the 55? Cause if I can fit more I would love to get another one!

I just want to know everyones opinions on these guys. from normal behaviors to regular eating habits. ANYTHING.

Like I said I am a beginner at these guys and I want to be prepared.

Thanks in advanced!

-Riley

Welcome to the world of axolotl!
A 55gal would be plenty big enough for 2 axies, or up to 4.
As long as your filter is rated for the size of tank an internal or HOB is fine - for a 55gal you would need a 200-250gal/hour filter.

If you haven't already, go read all the stuff on axolotl.org, read some of the threads here, join a facebook group or 2, chat with some experienced keepers.

These links hold lots of articles, read them all!

Caudata Culture Axolotl Articles

Axolotl Sanctuary

auntiejude said:

Welcome to the world of axolotl!
A 55gal would be plenty big enough for 2 axies, or up to 4.
As long as your filter is rated for the size of tank an internal or HOB is fine - for a 55gal you would need a 200-250gal/hour filter.

If you haven't already, go read all the stuff on axolotl.org, read some of the threads here, join a facebook group or 2, chat with some experienced keepers.

Click to expand...

I haven't read all of the stuff on axolotl.org, But I have read a lot of it. For substrate what would you recommend? Like I said before I was going to try for sand, I don't really want to go bare bottom for the axies.. Especially since I'm going to try for live plants. I plan on setting up the aquarium for a while with just the live plants and keep it steady for a while and then I once that's at a good state I'm going to add the two little guys in.

Another question, if you know, How old should the Axies be before I take them home? Any recommended age or does it not matter?

And yeah then I have a decent filter for them, i plan to upgrade to a canister one eventually anyways.

I want there home to be perfect for when they come home!

-Riley

AxolotlChris said:

These links hold lots of articles, read them all!

Caudata Culture Axolotl Articles

Axolotl Sanctuary

Click to expand...

Oooh Thank you so much for the helpful links!! The one is actually very helpful considering I'm trying for a live plant aquarium!

-Riley

In a 55 gallon tank, you could have 4 or 5. You'll just have to do weekly water changes of 10 or 20%. The general consensus is 20 gal for the first one and 10 more gallons for every additional axolotl. In math terms, the formula is [number of gallons = 10n + 10] with "n" representing the number of axolotls. lol. However, the bigger the tank, the less difference that extra 10 gallons makes. So, even though I'm not the expert and it's only my opinion, I think that if it's a pretty big tank, it can basically be 10 gallons per axolotl.

Hi ya'll! I don't mean to hijack the thread, just have a question that was almost addressed. how many axies can you keep in a 30 gallon? three?

Toby's Mom, 30 gallons is enough to house 2 adult axolotls comfortably

Riley, 55 gallons, as said, is good for 4-5 lotls I'm new myself to lotl keeping, but my first I took home at about the three inch mark and the second at the 2 inch mark (lil babies!) it's been aallllmost a year now and they're huge monsters at over 8 inches~ I liked taking them home around this size because I could watch them grow without having to worry about daphnia/rearing babylotls, cause I could feed mine bloodworms, then pellets, then nightcrawlers rather quickly.

If you are looking for filters I recommend the Sun Sun Brand Canister Filters ( found on Amazon). I had a internal filter before the canister and I found out that axolotls can create quite a mess and an internal filter doesn't quite cut it. The great thing about the Sun Sun canister filters is that they are the cheapest canister filters on the market but surprisingly the best. You get the most bang for your buck. On the canister filter it has a great ball valve to control the flow of it to make sure there isnt to much flow in the tank which the axolotls dont like. The water inside of it goes through 4 stages of different size filters to make sure the water is crystal clear. And it is dead silent. I love my Sun Sun. After I got I instantly saw a change in the water it looked crystal clear.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your new babies. Trust me they will become the love of your life.

Make sure what ever filter you use, it is appropriate for the volume of water it is processing.
Caudata Culture Articles - Filters

Note that without some modifications, your Whisper filter isn't likely to provide the biological filtration you'll need. Every time you replace the cartridge, you'll be tossing away a large portion of you're beneficial bacteria colony... I'd suggest getting a different filter or looking into ways to add ceramic media or "bioballs" that are never cleaned or replaced as a place to grow you're bacterial colonies.

Cole

I would kill for a 55 xD Right now I have 1 sub-adult axie in a 10. Hoping to move her to a 20 soon. They should be happy with such a nice amount of space